Coquitlam council passed a "more generic" resolution Monday to ask the province to take from elected officials the ability to set their own pay.
Coun. Teri Towner introduced a motion a couple of weeks ago calling on the province and the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) to create a provincially appointed independent commission to determine how local government officials should be paid. But she went back to the drawing board when she met resistance from other councillors, who said the province should not be involved.
She came up with another resolution that eliminates provincial participation to be submitted to the UBCM for discussion at its annual convention in September.
The final resolution council agreed on asks the UBCM to “examine the issue of local government elected-official remuneration and establish an independent process that can assist local governments in setting fair and equitable remuneration for elected officials.”
Towner said the current system is seriously flawed and has drawn cynicism and backlash from the public.
“I believe very strongly that there’s got to be a better way than the current patchwork on display throughout our province,” she said. “There’s been some disheartening events that have taken place in connection with local and regional government and [they've] caused the public to look askance at public officials. We need to do everything we have in the connection we have with the public and make good decisions going forward.”
Currently, Coquitlam’s annual increases for its elected official salaries are tied to the percentage increase received by city workers who are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Last week, Coun. Dennis Marsden pointed out even though council pay is only one line on its annual budget, it still has to be voted on by council.
Although Coun. Terry O’Neill said the generic resolution is “a really good important step forward,” Mayor Richard Stewart said it was actually a step backward but needed to be taken to gain support by council and on the floor of the UBCM.
